


Budapest

by Celticas



Series: Trope Bingo [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Budapest, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21700348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticas/pseuds/Celticas
Summary: Budapest was all in the eye of the beholder.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson
Series: Trope Bingo [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1518110
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32
Collections: Clint/Coulson Trope Bingo





	Budapest

Clint was maybe a little bit insane. It was still up for debate. Where anyone else would be cowering in a corner he was revelling in the utter insanity and chaos that was playing out around him. 

The Charizard that towered over him turned its attention from the tiny European car it had been trying to stomp flat, to the archer. Flames flickering around the tip of its tail and inside its closed jaw. In a second it would open those inch long teeth and unleash scorching hellfire.

Part of him knew that it wasn’t real. That it was a hologram and couldn’t really hurt him. The rest of him really didn’t care. The challenge was fun, the graphics were amazing and fighting pokemon was making his inner twelve year old giggle manically. A few may have even slipped out. Tasha had shot him a look that promised retribution once they were out of this mess for the enjoyment he was finding in the situation.

It was SHIELD’s newest virtual training instillation that was presenting them with the nightmarish/ childhood dream come true. Some bright spark in research and development had decided, without telling anyone, to add the Japanese monsters to the simulation. But it had screwed up the coding and now they couldn’t get out. 

They weren’t the only ones stuck. Phil, and a team of juniors, were in here somewhere too. A lucky shot from an electabuzz had shorted the commlink within minutes of them entering the simulation and then a fucking stampede of tauros down Bajcsy-Zsilinsky ut had separated Clint and Tasha from the rest.

“At least it isn’t actually Budapest.” Clint called as they watched a pair of dragonite tear into Saint Stephen’s Basilica. The graceful stone towers quickly falling to the determined creatures.

“I hate you.”

“Bar…Ro..There?” Static broken by what might have been a voice crackled in their ears.

“Sir?” Clint tapped the little unit, trying to get it to work. He had to leave it alone in favour of sending a shot at the charizard that was still trying to grill him.

“Clin..?... me in.” 

“Rendezvous at the Soviet War Memorial. Soviet War Memorial.” Clint responded with. They had had lunch next to the real one last time they were in Budapest. Hopefully even if their handler only got part of the message, he would understand.

“Tasha let’s move!” 

They had to fight for every foot, but they got there. The once green square trampled to dust, the tauros’ must have started here, and the sandstone monument was covered in slime, a trio of grimer sitting at its base self-satisfied.

An explosion of feathers from the other end of the square was an unsubtle warning of where the next bit of madness might be coming from. Instead of clearing to show a simulated cartoon monster, Phil and the three juniors burst into the square. Two of them covered in sticky, white spiders silk. A swarm of angry caterpie following them, chittering madly.

Clint actually fell over he was laughing so hard. The rest of them just huffed or glared at him depending on the person.

“Come on hawkass, up you get.” Phil poked him with the end of his combat boot, urging him off the ground.

Still snickering, he clambered upright.

“Any thoughts on how to get out?” Phil opened it up to all of them. Japanese cartoons weren’t his area.

Natasha flicked her head in the negative without taking her eyes off the perimeter, watching their back as they brainstormed. Even knowing this was only a simulation, there wasn’t anything to suggest that they couldn’t be hurt or killed by these computer monsters. She wasn’t going to take her eyes off them.

“Gotta catch ‘em all?” Clint sung.

“Shit. You think?” One of the juniors asked. “That’ll take forever!” Wide eyed, he glanced around.

“Agent Barton was joking.” The expression on Phil’s face begged him to be joking.

“Yeah. That can’t be it. Do we know who coded it?” Clint asked. Maybe knowing who was behind this crazy would tell them how to get out of it.

“I think. Um. Doctor Sapiro. He likes video games and he’s a computer scientist.” Agent Cunningham offered.

“And? Therefore?” Phil prompted annoyed. If Cunningham knew something that would help, could she get to the point? Loquacious to a fault.

“All video games. A common trope is transport portals. Maybe there is a portal or doorway that would let us out.”

Again, more words than needed.

“Where would these portals be?”

“It depends on the game. WoW had them in entryways, City Gates. Eve was at the edge of the systems. Overwatch uses objects.” She expounded.

“Which is most likely?” Clint asked, seeing how annoyed Phil was getting. The older man’s jaw beginning to twitch.

“Wow.”

“There is a gate in the castle.” Natasha rejoined the conversation.

As a group they turned to look at the Castle that loomed above the city. Gastly, haunter, and ganger were drifting above the sprawling compound. They weren’t doing much at the moment, but Clint was sure they would attack the moment the group got close.

“Waiting isn’t going to make it easier.” Phil set off across the square. 

Every corner they turned another brightly coloured anime character tried to attack them. Alternating being drenched, covered in mud and leaves, and on one occasion a family of pikachu tried to zap them. That one they avoided with some pretty foot work and a hand wrapped in Cunningham’s collar to yank her out of the line of fire.

The Szechnyi chain bridge was a parking lot of cars and magnite and magnimite, mr. mimes and meowths. It was chaos that they inched their way across. Each step chosen carefully.

A swirling pool of light and mist waited for them at the top of the long, steep approach. Sitting atop the stonework, a small pink mew watched them, amusement in the alien face. It waved goodbye as they stepped through.


End file.
